Thousands of Dutch farmers headed to The Hague on Tuesday, many driving in slow-moving convoys of tractors that snarled traffic in the morning rush hour, for a national day of protest to demand more respect for their profession.
The Dutch motorists association, ANWB, reported that Tuesday was the busiest ever morning rush hour on the nation's roads, with more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of traffic jams blamed on convoys of tractors, bad weather and accidents.
Organisers of the protest said on their website that they want to counter the "negative image" of farming in the Netherlands.
They say, "we are not animal abusers and environment polluters, we have a heart for our businesses."